Moondyne
Encyclopedia
Moondyne is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly
, which was made into a film of the same name in 1913. It is very loosely based on the life of the Western Australia
n convict escapee and bushranger
Moondyne Joe
.
revolutionary who was transported
as a convict to Western Australia. During his time in Western Australia's penal system he would have heard many stories of Moondyne Joe's exploits, although it almost certain that the two men never met. After only thirteen months in Western Australia, O'Reilly escaped the colony on board the American whaling ship Gazelle. On arrival in America he settled in Boston, where he established himself as a respected journalist, newspaper editor, novelist and poet.
who share with him their secret of a huge gold mine. Joe uses his new-found wealth to return to England and become a respected humanitarian under the assumed name Wyville. Recognised as possessing expertise in penal reform, he is ultimately sent back to Western Australia to help reform the colony's penal system. In the course of this he becomes involved in several subplots including the case of a young woman named Alice Walmsley who has been wrongly convicted of murdering her own child. Wyville/Moondyne succeeds in saving Alice from false imprisonment, helps to reform Western Australia's penal system, and achieves a number of other admirable ends before dying in an attempt to save the life of the story's villain, Isaac Bowman.
in 1878, under the title Moondyne Joe. Applauded by critics, it was published and republished under a variety of titles including:
, the Melbourne
-based Lincoln-Cass Film Company produced Moondyne, a black and white
silent film
based on O'Reilly's novel. Directed by W. J. Lincoln
, it starred George Bryant as Joe Moondyne, Godfrey Cass
as Te Mana Roa, and Roy Redgrave
as Isaac Bowman.
John Boyle O'Reilly
John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australia...
, which was made into a film of the same name in 1913. It is very loosely based on the life of the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
n convict escapee and bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
Moondyne Joe
Moondyne Joe
Joseph Bolitho Johns , better known as Moondyne Joe, was Western Australia's best known bushranger.- Biography :...
.
Background
John Boyle O'Reilly was a FenianIrish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
revolutionary who was transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
as a convict to Western Australia. During his time in Western Australia's penal system he would have heard many stories of Moondyne Joe's exploits, although it almost certain that the two men never met. After only thirteen months in Western Australia, O'Reilly escaped the colony on board the American whaling ship Gazelle. On arrival in America he settled in Boston, where he established himself as a respected journalist, newspaper editor, novelist and poet.
Plot summary
Moondyne Joe is a convict who escapes after being victimised and mistreated by a cruel penal system. While on the run he is befriended by indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
who share with him their secret of a huge gold mine. Joe uses his new-found wealth to return to England and become a respected humanitarian under the assumed name Wyville. Recognised as possessing expertise in penal reform, he is ultimately sent back to Western Australia to help reform the colony's penal system. In the course of this he becomes involved in several subplots including the case of a young woman named Alice Walmsley who has been wrongly convicted of murdering her own child. Wyville/Moondyne succeeds in saving Alice from false imprisonment, helps to reform Western Australia's penal system, and achieves a number of other admirable ends before dying in an attempt to save the life of the story's villain, Isaac Bowman.
The Book
The novel Moondyne originally appeared as a serial in O'Reilly's newspaper The PilotThe Pilot (newspaper)
The Pilot is the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston and claims the title of "America's Oldest Catholic Newspaper", having been in continuous publication since its first issue on September 5, 1829...
in 1878, under the title Moondyne Joe. Applauded by critics, it was published and republished under a variety of titles including:
- Moondyne Joe: A Story from the Underworld
- Moondyne: A Tale of Convict Life in Western Australia
- Moondyne: A Story of Life in West Australia
- Moondyne: An Australian Tale
- Moondyne, or, The Mystery of Mr Wyville.
- The Golden Secret, or Bond and Free
- The Moondyne
- A Tale of Bush and Convict Life
Film
In 19131913 in film
The year 1913 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Squaw Man, the first Hollywood feature film, is made.* December 29, Charlie Chaplin signs a contract with Mack Sennett to begin making films at Keystone Studios.* D. W...
, the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
-based Lincoln-Cass Film Company produced Moondyne, a black and white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
based on O'Reilly's novel. Directed by W. J. Lincoln
W. J. Lincoln
W. J. Lincoln was an Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter in the silent era. He produced, directed and/or wrote 23 films between 1911 and 1916.-Life:...
, it starred George Bryant as Joe Moondyne, Godfrey Cass
Godfrey Cass
Godfrey Cass was an Australian actor in the silent era. Between 1906 and 1935 he acted in nineteen film roles. He played Ned Kelly three times, and also had roles in a number of other bushranger movies including A Tale of the Australian Bush and Moondyne .-Biography:The son of the Governor of...
as Te Mana Roa, and Roy Redgrave
Roy Redgrave
Roy Redgrave was an English stage and silent film actor. Redgrave was the founder of the Redgrave acting family.-Early life:...
as Isaac Bowman.
Further reading
- Since 2002, an edited and annotated edition of Moondyne has been available online through University College Cork's Corpus of Electronic Texts (CELT). See especially the Preamble.